India won the fourth match of the Women’s T20I series against Sri Lanka by 30 runs. Batting first, India posted a mammoth 221/2 in their quota of 20 overs and while Sri Lanka came up with their best batting performance of the series, they still finished on 191/6.
Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu won the toss for the first time in the series and had no hesitation in bowling first. What unfolded thereafter was a combination of brutal force and exquisite timing. It was an innings that brought Smriti Mandhana back among the runs as she scored 80 off 48 balls. At the other end, Shafali Verma simply picked up from where she had left off in the previous game, registering her third consecutive half-century before being dismissed for 79 off 46. The opening partnership of 162 is the highest for India Women for any wicket in WT20Is.
In a smart move, Richa Ghosh was promoted up the order to finish the innings, and she did not disappoint the Thiruvananthapuram crowd, scoring 40 not out off just 16 deliveries. On the decision to send Richa up the order, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said in the post-match presentation, “We just wanted to send Richa first because she’s someone who can finish the game better than anyone else.”
Richa and Harmanpreet added an unbeaten 53 off 23 balls at a run rate of 13.82 for the third wicket, the second-highest run rate in a 50-plus partnership for India Women in T20Is. When India finished on 221/2, it appeared a distant possibility for Sri Lanka to chase the target, given their batting returns in the first three matches.
Hasini Perera and Athapaththu opened the Sri Lankan innings. As in the previous game, Perera got going straightaway, hitting the Player of the Match from the third T20I, Renuka Singh Thakur, for three boundaries in the opening over. The captain too joined the charge as Sri Lanka raced to 59 without loss in 5.2 overs. Perera, on 33 off 20, was caught at mid-off by Harmanpreet while attempting to drive Arundhati Reddy straight. Unlike earlier games, Athapaththu continued the momentum and brought up her half-century in her 150th WT20I.
Athapaththu was dismissed by a superb delivery from youngster Vaishnavi Sharma. Dancing down the track, she was deceived as Vaishnavi held her length back and bowled quicker. Rushed for pace, Athapaththu failed to get under the ball and miscued it to Mandhana at long-off. Once the Sri Lankan captain departed for 52 off 37 balls, the visitors were left with a daunting task. Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kaveesha Dilhari and Nilakshika de Silva all chipped in, but none could sustain the boundary-hitting momentum as the required rate continued to climb. Although Nilakshika played a cameo of 23 not out off 11 balls, Sri Lanka still fell 30 runs short.
India now lead the series 4-0 with both openers in prime form, but fielding remains their biggest concern. As many as three catches were dropped and several misfields once again highlighted an area that needs urgent attention. Sri Lanka, however, finally had something to cheer about, registering their highest-ever T20I total. Their inexperienced bowling attack, though, has plenty to work on. With one match left in the series, it will be interesting to see if Sri Lanka can build on the confidence gained from this batting effort and sneak in a consolation win to round off their India tour.
India won the fourth match of the Women’s T20I series against Sri Lanka by 30 runs. Batting first, India posted a mammoth 221/2 in their quota of 20 overs and while Sri Lanka came up with their best batting performance of the series, they still finished on 191/6.
Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu won the toss for the first time in the series and had no hesitation in bowling first. What unfolded thereafter was a combination of brutal force and exquisite timing. It was an innings that brought Smriti Mandhana back among the runs as she scored 80 off 48 balls. At the other end, Shafali Verma simply picked up from where she had left off in the previous game, registering her third consecutive half-century before being dismissed for 79 off 46. The opening partnership of 162 is the highest for India Women for any wicket in WT20Is.
In a smart move, Richa Ghosh was promoted up the order to finish the innings, and she did not disappoint the Thiruvananthapuram crowd, scoring 40 not out off just 16 deliveries. On the decision to send Richa up the order, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said in the post-match presentation, “We just wanted to send Richa first because she’s someone who can finish the game better than anyone else.”
Richa and Harmanpreet added an unbeaten 53 off 23 balls at a run rate of 13.82 for the third wicket, the second-highest run rate in a 50-plus partnership for India Women in T20Is. When India finished on 221/2, it appeared a distant possibility for Sri Lanka to chase the target, given their batting returns in the first three matches.
Hasini Perera and Athapaththu opened the Sri Lankan innings. As in the previous game, Perera got going straightaway, hitting the Player of the Match from the third T20I, Renuka Singh Thakur, for three boundaries in the opening over. The captain too joined the charge as Sri Lanka raced to 59 without loss in 5.2 overs. Perera, on 33 off 20, was caught at mid-off by Harmanpreet while attempting to drive Arundhati Reddy straight. Unlike earlier games, Athapaththu continued the momentum and brought up her half-century in her 150th WT20I.
Athapaththu was dismissed by a superb delivery from youngster Vaishnavi Sharma. Dancing down the track, she was deceived as Vaishnavi held her length back and bowled quicker. Rushed for pace, Athapaththu failed to get under the ball and miscued it to Mandhana at long-off. Once the Sri Lankan captain departed for 52 off 37 balls, the visitors were left with a daunting task. Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kaveesha Dilhari and Nilakshika de Silva all chipped in, but none could sustain the boundary-hitting momentum as the required rate continued to climb. Although Nilakshika played a cameo of 23 not out off 11 balls, Sri Lanka still fell 30 runs short.
India now lead the series 4-0 with both openers in prime form, but fielding remains their biggest concern. As many as three catches were dropped and several misfields once again highlighted an area that needs urgent attention. Sri Lanka, however, finally had something to cheer about, registering their highest-ever T20I total. Their inexperienced bowling attack, though, has plenty to work on. With one match left in the series, it will be interesting to see if Sri Lanka can build on the confidence gained from this batting effort and sneak in a consolation win to round off their India tour.
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